Milk-aerator.



No. 718,644. PATENTED JAN. 20, 1903. J. LEMIRE.

MILK AERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1 902.

HO MODEL By 71 am Attorneys THE NORRIS Pzrzns 00.. PHOTD-LITNQ.WASHINGTON, a. c..

UNTTED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LEMIRE, OF DRUMMONDVILLE, CANADA.

iVHLK-AERATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,644, dated January20, 1903.

' Application filed August 16, 1902. Serial No. 119,866. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LEMIRE, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Drummondville, county of Drummondville, Province ofQuebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMilk- Aerators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in milk-aerators for use in dairiesand the like; and the objects that I have in view are to provide meansfor agitating the milk, so as to prevent the cream from accumulating onthe surface and also to allow the animal heat and odors to escapetherefrom, to en-.

able the appliance to be transferred readily from one milk vessel toanother, to cause the milk to be periodically and regularly agitatedwithout any supervision whatever on the part of operatives orattendants, to accomplish these aims without the necessity of providingany clockwork or motor mechanism of any kind'that is liable to get outof order, and to provide a cheap, simple, and effective apparatus thatcan be readily attached to a milk vessel, can be operated by any onewithout requiring any skill, and will infallibly and accurately performits functions without any expense or trouble in the maintenance of thesame.

To these ends my invention consists, substantially, in a frameworkadapted to be attached to the side of a milk vessel and carrying awater-tank at an elevated point thereof, which is arranged with asuitable cook or other means for causing a regular and retarded flow ofwater therefrom. The water is caused to pass into a vessel which isattached to an agitator within the milk vessel, and when said vesselbecomes filled with the water it overbalances the agitator and causesthe same to be raised, while the vessel itself is dropped and emptied bysuitable mechanism, after which said vessel being lighter than andconsequently no longer counterbalancing the weight of said agitator thelatter again sinks to the bottom of-the milk vessel, while the watervessel rises and is again slowly filled with water.

My invention further consists in providing tor will be raised. At thesame time, however, a string attached to the bottom of saidcounterbalancing vessel causes the same to be overturned and emptied,whereby the reverse movement is caused to take place.

My invention further consists in the construction and combination ofparts hereinafter more particularly described,and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings accompanying this specification I have shown a preferredform of my improved milk-aerator, and therein Figure 1 is a verticalcentral section of a milk vessel and some of the parts of the agitator,the remaining parts of the latter being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is afragmentary detail plan view of the edge of the milk vessel having theimproved device attached thereto to illustrate the manner of attachingthe same.

The same numerals of reference denote like parts in each figure of thedrawings.

3 is a milk vessel of any ordinary or desired form, being hereinillustrated as of the usual cylindrical pattern with a pair of sidehandles 4, having central round holes 5 therein through which a bail orgrapple may be inserted for raising said milk vessel by a suitablehoist. To the side of this vessel is attached a vertical post 6, whichrises toa considerable height above the edge thereof and has at itsupper end a cross-head 7, which is perforated by a bore at right anglesto the post 6 and carries therein a cross-bar 8, extending on eitherside of the cross-head 7 and adjustably clamped thereto by means of aset-screw 9. At the ends of the cross-bar 8 are carried a pair of forkedsleeves 10, which have sockets 11 formed therein into which the ends ofthe bar 8 project, which ends are clamped in said sockets by means ofsetscrews 12. The forked ends 13 of the sleeves 10 carry journaledtherein small pulleys or sheaves 14 and 15, over which passes a suitableflexible connection, such as a chain 16. The pulley 14 on one end of thebar 8 is arranged to be located directly over the milk can or vessel 3,so as to cause the chain 16 to depend axially therein, and to this endof the chain 16 is attached a conical agitator-plate 17, preferablythrough the medium of the rod 18, which has an eye 19 formed on itsupper end and passing through the last link of the chain 16, and asimilar eye 20, interlocking with an eye-lug 21, riveted to the apex ofthe conical plate 17. At the other end of the chain 16 is secured ashort rod 22, whose lower end is branched, as shown at 23, and firmlysecured, as by rivets or soldering or in any other suitable manner, to aconical water vessel 24, which has secured to its apex an eye-lug 25.The capacity of this vessel 24is such that when filled with water itsweightis snfiicient to counterbalance the agitator-plate 17 and the rod18, and thus cause them to rise when it falls; but when the vessel 24 isempty the weight of the agitator 17 and rod 18 is greater than saidvessel, whereby the latter is caused to be raised by means of the chain16 and held in upright position, as shown in full lines in the drawings.The eye-lug 25 has passed therethrongh one end of a cord 26, whoseopposite end is connected to a ring 27, secured to the sliding block 28,which slides on the post 6, or it may be connected to any other suitablepart of the apparatus, such as the milk vessel 3, as will be obvious.The cord 26 is of sufficient length to permit the vessel 24 to belowered to the lowest position shown in the drawings and of such lengththat when lowered to a distance approximately equal to the height of themilk vessel the cord 26 by its connection 25 will cause the vessel 24 tobe overturned in the manner shown by the dotted lines and emptied intoany suitable receptacle 29.

Mounted on the rod 6, immediately over the vessel 24, is a water-tank30, which has at its lower end a cook or valve 31, through which thewater therein is adapted to flow, and the flow through the valve 31 isadapted to be regulated by the position of the handle 32, so that wateris caused to flow slowly into the vessel 24 and to fill it atpredetermined intervals.

The mode of operation of the invention as thus far described will beclear from the following considerations: The parts being in the positionshown in Fig. 1, the handle 32 is adjusted so as to cause water to dropslowly into the vessel 24 and after a certain period to fill the same.At this point the weight of the vessel 24 overbalances the weight on theopposite end of the chain, as stated, whereupon the agitator 17 will becaused to rise through the milk in the vessel 3, and the vessel 24 willdescend until it is overturned by the cord 26, thus emptying the vessel24,

whereupon it will immediately rise by reason of the agitator 17overbalancing it, and the latter will accordingly descend through themilk, thus agitating it in both directions and causing the same to beaerated, as well as preventing the collection of cream on its surface.As soon as it has reached the top the vessel 24 will again begin to fillwith water, and this process will continue as long as the tank 30 iskept supplied, which may be done at proper intervals by an attendant orby the automatic inflow from a water-main.

The method of readily and adjnstably securing the post 6 to the vessel 3is also of my invention, and it consists, substantially, in forming itslower end with a reetangularlybent portion 33 and a downwardly-bent toe34, which is adapted to be inserted through the aperture 5 in one of thehandles 4, and subsequently the post 6 is turned into verti calposition, when the toe 34 prevents the lower end from coming out of thehandle 4. In this vertical position the post 6 is sustained by thesliding block 28, which embraces the post 6 and has a bracket-arm 35,with a downwardly-bent finger 36, arranged to hook over the side of thevessel 3, and I preferably provide the block 28 with a pair ofspring-fingers 37, formed of a single plate of metal and riveted orotherwise secured to the block, which spring-fingers are adapted topress against the side of the vessel 3 and steady the post, whileholding the finger 36 in contact with the inner side of the vessel.

While I have shown in the accompanying.

drawings the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood thatI do not limit myself to the precise form shown, for many of the detailsmay be changed in form or position without affecting the operativenessor utility of my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to makeall such modifications as are included within the scope of the followingclaims or of mechanical equivalents to the structures set forth.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A milk-aerator comprising avertical post having one or more pulleysat the upper end thereof, a flexible connection passing over saidpulleys, an agitator attached to one end of said flexible connection andadapted to depend within a milk vessel, a water vessel suspended inupright position to the opposite end of said flexible connection, meansfor delivering water at a specified rate into said water vessel tooverbalance said agitator, and a cord attached to the bottom of saidvessel and to a stationary point to cause the same to be overturned at adefinite point in its descent.

2. A milk-aerator comprising an upright post, means for attaching saidpost to the side of the milk vessel, a cross-bar at the upper end ofsaid post, a pair of pulley-sheaves carried at the ends of saidcross-bar, a flexible connection passing over said pulleys, an

agitator attached to one end of said flexible connection, a water vesselattached to the opposite end, a loose cord attached to a stationarypoint and to a point of said water vessel to cause the same to beoverturned in its descent, and means for delivering water into saidvessel to overbalance said agitator.

3. A milk-aerator comprising an upright post, means for attaching saidpost to the side of the milk vessel, a cross-bar at the upper end ofsaid post, a pair of pally-sheaves carried at the ends of saidcross-bar, a flexible connection passing over said pulleys, an agitatorattached to one end of said flexible connection, a water vessel attachedto the opposite end, a loose cord attached to a stationary point and toa point of said water vessel to cause the same to be overturned in itsdescent, a water-tank fixed to said post, and a regulatingvalve leadingfrom the lower portion of said tank and adapted to deliver water intosaid water vessel.

4. In a milk-agitator, the combination of a vertical post having a bentfoot adapted to rest in a projecting handle on a milk vessel, a slidingsleeve on said post having a downwardly-bent finger adapted to hook overthe edge of said milk vessel, and an agitator supported by said post.

5. Instt milk-agitator, the combination of a vertical post having a bentfoot adapted to rest in a projecting handle on a milk vessel, a slidingsleeve on said post having a downwardly-bent finger adapted to hook overthe edge of said milk vessel, and a pair of laterally-extendingspring-fingers fixed to said sliding post and extending laterallytherefrom and adapted to press against the side of said vessel to steadysaid post.

6. A milk-aerator comprising an upright post having a rectangularly anddownwardly bent foot adapted to fit into and rest upon a handle formedon a milk vessel, a sliding sleeve adapted to reciprocate loosely onsaid post and having a downwardly-bent finger adapted to hook over theedge of the milk vessel, means for steadying said post and holding saidsliding block in position, a crosshead carried by the upper end of saidpost, a cross-bar carried in said cross-head, a pair of pulley-sheavesadjust-ably fixed to the ends of said cross-bar, a flexible connectionpassing over said pulleys, a conical agitator-plate adapted to rise andfall centrally within the milk vessel and fixed to the end of saidflexible connection, a water vessel fixed to the opposite end of saidflexible connection and adapted when filled to a certain level tooverbalance said agitator, a cord attached to the bottom of said vesseland to said sliding sleeve, a water-tank fixed at an intermediate pointon said post above said water vessel, and a regulating-valve adapted todeliver water from said tank into said water vessel, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH LEMIRE.

Witnesses:

J. A. MARION, T. MYNARD.

